Improvement in manufacture of clock-keys



P. LQELLIS & B. A. LEWIS.

Manufacture of Clock-Keys. No. 197,969.

Patented Dec. 11, 1877 MJ af HER. WASHINGTON a c UNITED :8 Terms PATENTOFFICE.

FREDERICK. L. ELLIs AND BURDETTE A. LEWIS, or PLAINV-ILLE, eons.

IMPROVEZMENTIIN MANUFACTU RE OF CLOCK-KEYS.

Specificatioh forming pm bf Letters Patent ,969 f ated Deemte 1, 1877;application filed August 20, 1877 V To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK L. ELLIs and BURDETTE A. LEwIs, both ofPlainville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and use ful Improvements in Clock-Keys, of whichthe following is a specification:

Our invention consists in a clock-key in which the barrel and handleportion consists of two halves of sheet metal, with a swaged groove ineach half extending up into and terminating in the solid metal of thehandle, and the halves rigidly and permanently bound together by aclosely-fitting collar, made stationary on the extreme lower end of thebarrel, as hereinafter described; also, of the pe culiar construction ofthe barrel portion of thekeyto 'wift, two halves of struck-up metalrigidly and permanently bound together by a closely-fitting collar, madestationary on the extreme lower end of the barrel, as hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 shows an enlarged side elevationand end view of a clock-key made in accordance with our invention. Fig.2 is a plan view of a blank from which a part of our key-barrel andhandle .is formed. Fig. 3'is an enlarged side elevation and end view ofa detached part of said key, as made from the blank, Fig. 2. Fig. .4 isan enlarged side elevation and end view of another detached part. Fig. 5shows enlarged views, in cross-section, of two different styles ofclock-keys made in accordance with our invention; and Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of the left-hand key of Fig. 5.

We make our key of thin sheet metal. The halves a a are first blankedout in the form shown in Fig. 2, and they are then struck up in dies,which form the barrel end of said blank into a V shape, incross-section, and with a bead or depression extending from saidV-shaped portion up into the handle portion for a short distance, all asshown in Fig. 3

Suitable rivet-holes b b are also punched or formed in any proper mannerin the handle portion A. In case any burr or fin is thrown out in theact of striking up said halves, the same may be dressed off in anyordinary manner.

' A closely-fitting collar, B, made square in cross-section and open atthe ends, as shown in Fig. 4, is formed separately from the halves a a,and either from a flat disk or from hollow wire, as may be desired.

Two of the halves a a are placed together,

with their flat sides toward each other, and

which is the portion of the barrel that is sub jected to the moststrain. This collar therefore stops short of the handle, so that thesheet-metal halves may be left fiat at the upper end, to form a handlewith lateral projecting wings, as shown. The swaged grooves in thehalves extend up into the flat handle, and terminate therein by taperingbefore reaching the edge of .the metal, thereby giving great rigidityand strength to a light key, and also,

when the halves are placed together, the up-' per end of the barrel isnot only effectually, but very neatly, closed.

If desired, the barrel end of the halves a a might first be struck upinto a semicircular form, put together and rigidly secured by aclosely-fittin g round collar, and then this round barrel placed in aproper die, to impart to it a square form.

We also propose to put a round collar over the angular or V-shapedhalves, which collar must closely fit the corners of the halves, asshown at the left in Fig. 5, and the metal at each end of said collarshould be turned down upon the outside of the V-shaped halves, to closethe spaces between them and the inside of the collar. Fig. 6 represents,in side elevation, a key so formed.

We also propose sometimes to employ thicker metal, and, instead ofswaging it in V'shaped dies, to employ dies that will form the outsideof the halves a a in semicircular form, and the inside with a V-shapeddepression, which two halves, after the surplus metal has been dressedoff, will be held together by a round collar, as

shown at the right in Fig. 5, which is a crosssection of a key-barrel soformed.

Small keys for watches may be made on the same plan as herein describedfor making clock-keys.

By our mode of making keys they are produced at a much less cost thanthe ordinary malleabledron clock-keys can be produced for, and, ifdesired, we can form the barrels of steel, which can be hardened andtempered, so

- as to make a very durable key.

We claim as our invention- 1. A clock-key in which the barrel and Ihandle portion consists of two halves of sheet metal, with a swagedgroove in each half, ex-

tending up into and terminating in the solid Witnesses:

W. B. CABLE, J AMEs SHEPARD.

